Cavity

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by Jake Adelstein

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In the chair, she’s anxious

As I lean in closer, her pain goes somewhere

Yet her heartache’s a challenge

She doesn’t say the words

But I can hear her soul:

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     Dentist sensei, keep the chatter at bay,

     Press my chest, let its warmth come my way,

     Filling the void that won’t fade, won’t sway,

     An ache inside me, it’s here to stay

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She wonders aloud why she’s here in my chair

     What was she thinking?

     To trade love’s sorrow for a dental affair?

     To override emotions, choose pain?

 

Can the agony of this filling truly erase

The love that’s now lost, in these sterile days?

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I get it, in so many ways

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Who can forget those summer nights?

Such a beautiful woman

What foolish man could ever despise her?

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As I work on her tooth, I can’t help but see

She’s not the only one with heartache

I too bear a wound, a love long lost

Neither one able to calm our own misery

The teeth heal and no pain remains

But a broken heart…